Polka Doodles #45: Christmas Tag

Oh look! It's time for another Polka Doodle challenge and this week we are playing with tags. I made a giant tag. Well, it's actually a card shaped like a tag. And just so the tag message really gets across, I threw in 3 more little tags on my giant tag-card. How about you play along with is in this Christmas Tag challenge.

All the papers and elements for my project came from Polka Doodles' über delicious Christmas CD called Home For Christmas. It really takes the work out of your Christmas projects. If you're thinking about getting it now because Nikky is literally giving it away at a very special price of £13.00. Hurry and head on over to the PolkaDoodles Online Store. This price won't hold for long.

The rest of the DT have made some pretty amazing pieces that are sure to WOW you. Make sure you swing by their blogs for a spot of inspiration. In the meantime, here's my little ensemble of tags:

See! I told you I went tag crazy. All papers and elements are from the Home For Christmas. Extras from my stash...twine, ribbon, cardstock and glue! Can't get simpler than that!

Here's a full frontal! Nothing to be ashamed here...it's all good wholesome family fun! I added the ribbon to the base card to make it look like a tag too. 

Tagging my tags over at these playpens:

Cute Card Thursday #294 "Animal Magic"
Incy Wincy Designs "Ribbon, Twine or Fibres"
The Paper Shelter #136 "Winter Fun"
Sister Act Card Challenge #32 "Anything Goes"
Make It Monday #166 "Anything Goes"

Thank you so much for stopping by. I hope you'll join in this week's challenge...what better excuse to get ahead with you festive tags, eh? Have a creative weekend!

 Beijinhos!

A Couple of Penguins

Hello, friends. Just a quick post this evening. Can't linger... I have dinner in the oven and the timer will go off in a bit. But there's just enough time to show you my latest CAS adventure. This time everything came to a grinding halt after just two: a boy and a girl and I'm done ... for now.

All images are from Clearly Besotted's Let It Snow stamp set. I used coordinating dies to cut out his and her hats and scarves and adhered them using thin foam tape. Inks: Memento Tuxedo Black, Danube Blue and Rose Bud. I used Spellbinders Classic Oval die before embossing the CS with the Swiss Dots folder and then I adhered this panel to the card base with some pop dots. There's also some Stardust Stickles under the penguin's feet and to finish, some baker's twine.

I have to honest... CAS looks better when someone else does it! Not entirely convinced by this one....it's just too .... bare!

My frosty little penguins can be seen frolicking here:

Flourishes Timeless Tuesday #245 "Negative Energy" -
Make It Monday #165 "Anything Goes"
Papertake Weekly "Anything Goes"
Ribbon Carousel #87 "Holidays & Celebration + Spooled Item" - Christmas + twine
Simon Says Wednesday Challenge "Keep It CAS"
The House That Stamps Built #116 "Snow Fun"
Glitter And Sparkle November Challenge

Oh! There goes the oven timer. Must dash folks! Thanks for stopping by. Have a lovely Wednesday and I'll see you on my rounds.

Beijinhos!

Peace On Earth!

Yes, it's Monday and time for a Mojo card. And just to shake things up a bit, I made a Christmas card. Just a short post from me today...splitting headache...urgh! I am behind on my visiting, but I will try and drop in later today as soon as I sort out my head.

The papers are from DoveCraft's Vintage Christmas 8x8 pad. I'm using up my scraps to make a patchwork background.

I'm using Clearly Besotted's Pretty Poinsettia set. The inks are Versacolor Scarlet and Memento Cottage Ivy. Other embelies: yellow bling and sheer green ribbon. Keeping it simple. 

For the inside, I stamped bits and pieces from the Pretty Poinsettia set.

How about you play along with me here:
Mojo Monday #318 - sketch
Simon Says Stamp Monday "Patchwork"
Card & Scrap #64 "Christmas"
Really Reasonable Ribbon #83 "Christmas/Winter + Ribbon"
Tok Bobok #6 "Christmas"
Make It Monday #165 "Anything Goes"

Thanks for stopping by today. I really need to go lie down now. Catch up with y'all later. Take care!

Beijinhos!

Christmas Card Club #21: Religious Theme

Another fortnight had rolled by since the last time the CCC girls came out to play. Here are again for another round of fun and games.  Our current challenge is hosted by Christine and she has asked that our cards have a Religious theme.

I made an extra tall card, which I'll show you in bits:

This is the sentiment for my card, straight out of the Good Book. This WordArt is the creative genius of Mynnette Kitchen. I cut it out with Spellbinders Labels 4 and inked the edges with TH Faded Jeans. 

This is the bottom half of my focal image. I dressed her up with SN, Promarkers, lashings of Stickles and Liquid Pearls. She really shines IRL.

And now you see her top half....she's an Angel.

My card measures 7"x4". The background papers are from KaiserCraft's Traditional Christmas pack, which I think is out of print now.  This Angel is from Chocolate Baroque's Family Christmas set, I fussy cut her and popped her up on some foam tape.

On the inside I stamped snowflakes from the Family Christmas set using Memento Desert Sand. The sentiment is from Waltzing Mouse's Compact Sentiments, stamped with Memento Danube Blue.

Come join me in these challenges:

Bloggers Challenge "Things With Wings"
Brown Sugar #66 "Things With Wings"
Christmas Card Challenges #49 "Dimension"
A Gem of a Challenge #104 "Christmas is Coming"
All Sort #231 "Christmas Cheer"
CHNC Extra November "Anything Goes Christmas"
Inky Impressions #132 "Traditional Christmas"

CHNC #149 "Bling It Up"
Word Art Wednesday #104 "Anything Goes with Uplifting Sentiment"
Aud Sentiments Challenge Blog #92 Christmas Sentiments
Make It Monday #165 "Anything Goes" 

I'm glad Christine picked this theme. Oftentimes we get lost in the glitz and glamour of Christmas that we forget what a truly magical day it really is and how blessed we are to be able to celebrate it as children of the one true King.

Thanks for stopping by and I wish you all a blessed Sunday. See you tomorrow!

Beijinhos!

Eclectic Ellapu #54: Black & White

Hello and welcome to another Eclectic Ellapu challenge. The Pinkies are playing for the last time this year and our theme is "Black and White".  Next week the Purple Team will host Eclectic Ellapu's  last challenge for 2013 and we will be taking a nice long break before coming back next year in February with our batteries fully recharged and ready for another year of creative challenges.

As many of you already know, the amazing Cath Edvalson, the Trends Editor of Paper Crafts Magazine, the force behind Moxie Fab World, is leaving Paper Crafts Magazine and Moxie Fab World. Like many of you I am reeling from this shocking news. I love Cath's wit, her dry humour and the quirky titbits that only Cath can dredge up. I will miss her immensely. And with Cath in mind that I made this simple Black and White card:

The focal image of the Taj Mahal ( I think!) is from Chocolate Baroque's Indian Textiles set, heat embossed in white onto black CS.  The sentiment is also heat embossed. I am quite pleased with the crisp white embossing, very striking against the black. With a silver sharpie I also added some stars to the sky. To finish this simple card, some sheer white ribbon and three black bling. And finally I used foam tape to adhere the embossed panel onto the stripy background paper which is called  Liquorice Sherbet by Papermania.

Here's the inside - still keeping with the Black & White theme.

I'm taking my monochromatic creation to the following challenges:

Catch The Bug "November Anything Goes"

CASology #68 "Black"

CASual Friday #119 "Embossing"

Penny's Paper Crafty #151 "Black or Bling"

Addicted To Stamps and More #69 "CAS"

Simon Says Wednesday "Anything Goes"

Challenges & Candies #20 "CAS"

Make It Monday #165 "Anything Goes"

I'm also charing this card for Cath at Moxie Fab World. There are many more Cards for Cath linked up at the MFW blog. Stop by and have a peek if you can.

That's all from me today. I'll be back tomorrow with a Christmas card! Thanks for stopping by and have a lovely Saturday night!

Beijinhos! 

Christmas CAS gone wrong

Call me stubborn, tenacious or uncompromising. It's Halloween and I shall make a Christmas card.

Of late I've been obsessed with getting my head around CAS. It looks easy, but it's not. It's supposed to lend itself to mass-production, as long as the producer doesn't get bored after three. It should be clutter free and pleasing to the eye, unless you're an everything-but-the-kitchen-sink kinda gal. And it's driving me crazy!!!

Hello. I am the anti-CAS and here's my latest attempt:

Here's how I lost my way: lots of layers, plaid patterned paper from Papermania's Classic Christmas Collection, stitching, pink bling, eyelets, dry embossing with Swiss Dots folder, heat embossed greeting, die-cut reindeer and baker's twine. 

The deer is from Clearly Besotted's Merry Little Christmas set, stamped with Memento Rich Cocoa and coloured with SN (inside of ear) and Promarkers (everything else). Since I was attempting CAS (ahem!) the colouring is simple, no fancy shading. The deer is darker IRL, but he looks kinda krafty (!) in the photo.

Those balls you see... they are my lost marbles. Why else would I stamp the same greeting on the inside of the card?

I made only one card, it look me longer than usual to finish and my craft table is a mess. Another prime-time production...not! Still, this little deer will be strutting it's stuff at these parties:

Papertake Weekly "Sketchie Free For All" - sketch #64
Flourishes Timeless Tuesday #244 - "Plaid / Houndstooth" - plaid
Colour Throwdown #266 - colours
ABC Christmas Challenge "V for Vixen" - reindeer
Make It Monday #164 "Anything Goes"
I Love Promarkers #192 "Anything Goes" - Caramel, Cocoa, Burnt Umber, Henna, Lipstick Red and Berry
Die Cutting Divas #139 "Anything Goes"- die cut reindeer
Shopping Our Stash #125 "Stitching" - in pink




It was quite cold this morning. I had to scrape ice off the windshield of the car! He-man hubby scoffed and zooomed off to work on his motorbike. I dare say he arrived at his destination with frozen bits. I had the heater in the car cranked up to high. I'm ready for November, are you?

Thank you so much for stopping by. Stay safe, stay warm and spook yourself silly today!

Beijinhos!

Tuesday Throwdown #171: Witch Way To The Candy

Boo! Are you ready for Halloween? Admittedly, I'm too old for Trick or Treat but  I have plenty of experience following the candy. And that, my friends, bring me to the burning question this week over at the Tuesday Throwdown coven: Witch Way To The Candy?

This week's witchy challenge is sponsored by the Stamp Fairy - hah! Talk about juxtapositions.  Why don't you play along with us. Create a project with a witch / wizard or candy or both and link up your project at The Tuesday Throwdown Challenge Blog.

Stamp Fairy has some of the cutest digi images out there and it really is worth visiting their online store. Here's what I made using one of Stamp Fairy's images. This little guy is called Tommy Wizard.

I've paired Tommy Wizard with papers from Fancy Pants' 31st October 6x6 pad. The greeting is by WMS, stamped in Memento Elderberry onto lime green CS, To finish some Halloween twine by Doodlebug.

Here's a close up of young Thomas. I coloured him SN and Promarkers.

A peek a inside ...

Why don't you join me in these challenges:
Make It Monday #164 "Anything Goes"
Digi Galore "Halloween"
Craft Your Passion #186 "Halloween"
Love to Create #28 "Halloween"
Parade Your Craft #7 "Halloween / Autumn"
Bearly Mine #110 "Orange, Purple and Black" - and some green...oops!
365 Cards "I Stamp For Halloween"
Whoopsi Daisy Challenge "Halloween"

Thanks for stopping by today. Don't forget to link up your Halloween projects at the Tuesday Throwdown Challenge blog. I look forward to seeing your projects.

Beijinhos!

Happy Holidays

Last Monday of the month, folks! Seriously, where have the days, nay, months gone? And soon it will be Christmas.

Last year I got myself in such a flap and Christmas lunch almost didn't happen in the Martins household. A few days before Christmas it struck me that I hadn't ordered the turkey. No great disaster for me personally because staring down the rear end of a giant bird is one tradition I'd happily give up. But, the rest of the family wouldn't be so forgiving. Christmas was saved by a few pleading phone calls, a sympathetic organic farmer and a fat cheque... ouch!

I have to admit, I was distracted making Christmas cards and such. This year, I'vet set up a complex series of reminders and alarms and I'm mass producing my cards (without much success, though). For some strange reason I get bored after three. Here's my latest festive trio:

I'm still experimenting with CAS. It's the only way to mass produce. This card measures 4-1/4" square. The stamps are from Clearly Besotted's Signature Christmas set, cut with the coordinating die collection.

Supporting casts in this not-so-mass production include paper from First Edition Isabelle, Crystal Stickles, Liquid Pearls, TH Spun Sugar, VersaColor Silver, Memento Desert Sand and Bamboo Leaves.... and foam tape, of course! 

On the inside I stamped a greeting and the bow from The Signature Christmas set.

You'll find my cards at these linky parties:
Mojo Monday #317 - square sketch
Make It Monday #164 "Anything Goes"
Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge "Anything Goes"
Addicted to Stamps #68 - colours
Amusing Challenge #2 "Anything Goes"
Christmas Card Challenges #48 "Bows"
Craftin' Desert Divas #18 "Anything Goes"
Perfectly Rustics #9 "Patterned Paper"
Christmas Stampin' All Year Long #39 "Patterns" - First Edition's Isabelle paper pad
Keep It Simple #25 "Inspired By ..." alternative colours for Christmas 

I've held back lighting the fireplace until it really got cold. This evening is really is that cold and I finally dragged some logs in from the shed and got the fire going. And NO, I will not be warming his slippers! LOL. However, I will be swinging by your blogs as soon as I chuck something (at this stage not sure what) in oven and call it dinner. Thanks for stopping by today.

Beijinhos!